Cyrus CS24 Smartphone Review

Old, but reliable?
The Cyrus CS24 is something peculiar: the smartphone has been on the market since 2016, the company provides security updates, and offers cheap support even after the warranty has expired. Should sustainability-fans rejoice? Find out in the review.

Smartphone and quality German workmanship? Past times come to mind, when Nokia still used to make phones in Bochum, or more recently, the German made Smartphone Gigaset is releasing. The German company Cyrus does not produce its smartphones in Germany, but the development, and first and foremost, the service are based in Aachen. The longevity of the handsets in particular is corresponding to the idea of German workmanship: the manufacturer has been selling the devices for a very long time, periodically providing security patches years after their release, and changes the battery for less than 20 Euros (~$20) when the warranty has ended.

We received the Cyrus CS24 to review. The sturdy smartphone can be bought at this time for about 200 Euros (~$230) at all major retailers. That is an affordable price for a rugged smartphone. Other comparable devices in our database are the CAT S31, Samsungs Galaxy XCover 4, or the Poptel P60.

A rubberized, quite classic outdoor case surrounds the components of the CS24. The textured surface provides a secure grip. The maker guarantees it to be water- and dustproof, as well as shatter resistant when dropped from a height of 1.50 m (~5 ft). We thoroughly tested all aspects and could not find any problems when submerging it in water or dropping it from the edge of a table. However, the rubber flaps have to be tightly closed for tightness. For the same reason the battery is non-removable.

Strong pressure from our fingers does not bother the device, and neither can we twist it with bare hands. We did not notice any cracking noises either.

Configuration – Common in its Class

2 GB of RAM and a storage of 16 GB are common in this category; comparable devices offer the same amounts. However, the more recent Poptel P60's 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage are substantially above the average of the devices in our comparison.

Software – Cyrus CS24 with Android 7

The installed software is Android 7. Unfortunately, Cyrus does not offer a more recent version at the moment. At least the security patches of November 5 are a bit more recent. Cyrus has not made any changes to the operating system and does not install any additional software, so buyers can choose what to install on their smartphones.

Communication and GPS – Inaccurate GPS

With LTE Cat. 4 and the most necessary frequency bands, the Cyrus CS24 is not meant for world travelers, but within Europe mobile internet should be available on the device. In addition, there is 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. Although the faster ac standard is not supported, it is at least possible to connect to the less used 5 GHz network. In our Wi-Fi test with the reference router Linksys EA8500, the Cyrus CS24 scores rather stable data transfer rates in comparison.

Localisation is not possible indoors, but outside we are located quickly, although an accuracy of 7 meters (~23 ft) is not too accurate.

In terms of GPS, we expect a little bit more from an outdoor smartphone than the Cyrus CS24 can offer: Some segments are rather a rough indication of where we went, than serious tracking of our route. Too bad.

GPS Cyrus CS24 – overview

GPS Cyrus CS24 – traffic circle

GPS Cyrus CS24 – bridge

GPS Garmin Edge 520 – overview

GPS Garmin Edge 520 – roundabout

GPS Garmin Edge 520 – bridge

Telephony and Call Quality – Adequate

The phone app used is Google’s standard application.

The Cyrus CS24’s call volume is loud enough at its maximum setting. Our call counterpart does not sound entirely clear, and there is some obvious background noise. The overall sound quality though, is decent enough. The microphone functions properly,although loud voices distort quickly.

Cameras – Cyrus Smartphone with Mediocre Cameras

Front-facing camera sample photo

The camera configuration is quite simple: One 13-megapixel shooter in the back and one 5-megapixel lens in the front. The front-facing camera offers tolerable color reproduction, but the details quickly blur into pixel pulp.

The main camera presents itself in a rather inaccurate fashion, since background details appear blurry. While the color reproduction is decent, details tend to disappear in low light situations.

Videos can be recorded in up to 720p at 60 FPS. The brightness adjustment happens in clearly visible steps.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

ColorChecker colors; reference color in the bottom half of each square.

Accessories and Warranty – German Service

Only the bare necessities are in the box: A charger, a USB cable and a SIM tool, as well as a display cleaning kit.

The service of Cyrus is well worth mentioning: The Manufacturer offers a 2-year warranty, and beyond that, you can have the battery replaced for just under 20 Euros (~$23) once the warranty has expired. All service inquiries and repairs will be dealt with directly at Cyrus in Germany too. The manufacturer guarantees the device to be waterproof when treated appropriately.

Input Devices and Handling – Programmable Button for Apps

The Cyrus CS24 has a touchscreen that functions reliably and works well even in the corners. You can only feel a delay in operation, when using demanding apps. On the right side are the volume rocker and the standby button. They feel very sturdy and operate properly.

The left side houses a button that can be programmed to launch various apps.

Keyboard in portrait mode

Keyboard in landscape mode

Display – Average Brightness and a Very Blue Tint

Subpixel capture

At 451 cd/m², the screen is reasonably bright. The CAT S31 takes the lead position here, as its display is significantly brighter, and thus way more versatile outdoors. The CS24 offers only an averagely even distribution of brightness. The upper area of the screen in portrait mode in particular is distinctively dimmer. The resolution of 1280x720 is OK.

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.

Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 51 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 9367 (minimum: 43 - maximum: 142900) Hz was measured.

Our tests with the software CalMAN and the spectrophotometer reveal a severe blue cast. In terms of color and grey scale accuracy, the Cyrus CS24 lands the last place in our comparison. But unless it is important for you to know what a photo will look like when printed out, or to otherwise judge the colors on the display, it is not that important in everyday life.

CalMAN grayscale

CalMAN color accuracy

CalMAN color space

CalMAN saturation

Display Response Times

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Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.

↔ Response Time Black to White

25 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined

↗ 9 ms rise

↘ 14 ms fall

The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers.In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.8 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 41 % of all devices are better.This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (25 ms).

↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey

47 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined

↗ 24 ms rise

↘ 23 ms fall

The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.9 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 76 % of all devices are better.This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (39.8 ms).

Outdoors the brightness is enough to read the display on cloudy days. On days with lots of sunshine, however, you should find a shady corner. Viewing from an angle shows slight shifting in color.

Viewing angles

Outdoors

Performance – Enough Power

The SoC employed is the Mediatek MT6737T. Although it is a bit older, it still delivers enough performance for simple everyday tasks of the smartphone. In our comparison the Poptel P60 is significantly ahead, the Samsung Galaxy XCover 4 is almost on par with the Cyrus CS24, and the CAT S31 comes in last.

Overall, simple apps can be executed effortlessly on the Cyrus CS24, and navigation through the menus works without stuttering. Benchmarks take a while longer and modern graphical interfaces are not supported by the GPU, but all-in-all, it is possible to work decently with the CS24 on a modest level.

In terms of memory access however, the Cyrus CS24 finds itself in the last place. At least when it comes to accessing the internal storage and the microSD card, which in this case is our reference card, the Toshiba Exceria Pro M501. The read access to the system memory though, is a little bit faster than the CAT S31. Nevertheless, this is no reason to boast, as the values range at a low level.

Games – Gaming is OK

The mobile game "Arena of Valor" runs smoothly even in high settings, using the display’s native resolution. We use "Temple Run 2", to test if the touchscreen and orientation sensor react quickly enough. We have no complaints here.

Temple Run 2

Arena of Valor

Emissions – Barely any Heat

Temperature

When idling, the rugged smartphone barely heats up at all. After prolonged periods of load, it warms up to a respectable maximum value of 39.7 °C (~103 °F), which feels just slightly warm.

(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 36.1 °C / 97 F, compared to the average of 33.1 °C / 92 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 38.5 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 35.5 °C / 96 F, ranging from 22.4 to 51.7 °C for the class Smartphone.(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 39.7 °C / 103 F, compared to the average of 34.1 °C / 93 F(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.6 °C / 83 F, compared to the device average of 33.1 °C / 92 F.

Heatmap rear

Heatmap front

Speakers

Speaker test pink noise

The speaker on the back of the device produces overly prominent highs. If you occasionally want to enjoy a piece of music, at least you get a relatively loud speaker without noise.

Pairing an external speaker via Bluetooth was effortless. The 3.5 mm headphone jack is located behind a rather small flap and is recessed quite far into the case, so we had difficulties plugging in larger 3.5 mm plugs. Here the sound appeared to be quite thin as well.

Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)

Cyrus CS24 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (82.6 dB)Bass 100 - 315 Hz(-) | nearly no bass - on average 37% lower than median(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.2% delta to prev. frequency)Mids 400 - 2000 Hz(±) | higher mids - on average 6.3% higher than median(±) | linearity of mids is average (9.3% delta to prev. frequency)Highs 2 - 16 kHz(+) | balanced highs - only 4.2% away from median(+) | highs are linear (5.8% delta to prev. frequency)Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (28.7% difference to median)Compared to same class» 77% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 16% worse» The best had a delta of 13%, average was 25%, worst was 44%Compared to all devices tested» 85% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 11% worse» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 21%, worst was 53%

Samsung Galaxy XCover 4 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80.4 dB)Bass 100 - 315 Hz(-) | nearly no bass - on average 15.9% lower than median(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.3% delta to prev. frequency)Mids 400 - 2000 Hz(±) | higher mids - on average 7.4% higher than median(+) | mids are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)Highs 2 - 16 kHz(±) | higher highs - on average 6.3% higher than median(+) | highs are linear (6.3% delta to prev. frequency)Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (22.9% difference to median)Compared to same class» 37% of all tested devices in this class were better, 12% similar, 51% worse» The best had a delta of 13%, average was 25%, worst was 44%Compared to all devices tested» 61% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 32% worse» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 21%, worst was 53%

Battery Life – Cyrus Smartphone with Long Mileage

Power Consumption

The Cyrus CS24’s power consumption values are usual for this SoC. The Samsung Galaxy XCover 4 can, especially during idle, score some more points with better consumption values.

Battery Life

The Cyrus CS24 has a non-removable battery with a capacity of 4500 mAh. As mentioned earlier, the manufacturer offers cheap battery replacements after warranty end date. The Cyrus smartphone manages to stay on for over 18 hours in our Wi-Fi test, which is comparable to similar devices. Due to its substantially smaller battery, the Galaxy XCover 4 finds itself at the bottom of our comparison.

With exactly 18:43 hours of mileage, there should still be some juice left after a couple days of moderate usage. You can fully charge the phone in just under 3 hours with the included charger.

Pros

Cons

-inaccurate GPS

-blue cast to the display

-slow storage

-camera pictures lack detail

Verdict – Simple with Good Service

Review of the Cyrus CS24. Review unit courtesy of Cyrus Germany.

The Cyrus CS24 is on par with most competitors in its price range. Neither should high performance be expected, nor is the display very color accurate, and the camera cannot convince us entirely either. Everything is at an acceptable level, but the phone has very little that stands out. On top of this there is the rather old version of Android, which at least somewhat periodically receives recent security updates, and the tinny speaker.

Anyone with modest demands can, thanks to its large battery, work with the Cyrus CS24 for quite a long time. The CS24 is durable too, as well as water- and dustproof.

The Cyrus CS24 is a simple, rugged smartphone with a service promise.

More modern smartphones such as the Poptel P60 on the other hand, show what is possible for rugged smartphones in this price range by now. With a higher resolution display, more performance and more recent software, this is by no means underwhelming. Nevertheless, it should not be dismissed that you buy the Cyrus smartphone bundled with the German-speaking customer service, and the relatively straightforward handling of repairs. Anyone looking for an unassuming rugged device with “peace of mind” service, can indeed take a look at the Cyrus CS24.